First Impressions

I picked up a 48 hour free demo of the Sims 4 for PC. Let’s talk about it! Note: I don’t have any screenshots of gameplay, mostly because this was downloaded onto our PC laptop, and taking screenshots on that thing is nearly impossible. 🙂

I’m going to say that I’ve played the Sims 2 and 3, and 3 is my favorite. I personally find it to be the most user-friendly/easiest to learn of the bunch, though some might disagree. I knew the Sims 4 was going to be different, but honestly… I wasn’t impressed. There were only a few things I really liked, one of them being the graphics. I like the cartoon-ish look.

Let’s start with Create-A-Sim. It’s a drastic difference from the Sims 3 (which, for the purposes of this review, will be the baseline. The Sims 4 is probably closer to the Sims 2 in a lot of ways, but I haven’t played that nearly as much.) I don’t mind the new CAS, but it took me a while to figure out. I found the controls to be rather touchy, and the click and drag of the new custom system has a definite learning curve. However, I have seen videos of the Sims 4, and the things people do with the new CAS are impressive, so it has redeeming qualities. Plus, I much prefer the new clothing system/clothing options to previous games. It’s easier to set up the different clothing genres and match them with hair and stuff.

Continuing onwards into the game, I don’t really like the whole “shared neighborhood” thing. It’s more like having one neighborhood that you add families to, as opposed to having multiple games. I could see the appeal if you had a lot of personal characters you wanted to have all interact… but it’s personally not my favorite model. I prefer separate games.

However, there are things I do like about gameplay. I really like the new mood system. It’s an interesting change from the Sims 3. Also, there are some interesting new career options. I really like the new computer-centric career. You can be a professional gamer! Yay!

The new building system also has a small learning curve. However, I’ve never liked building in any of the Sims games, so I’m not going to comment on this.

Overall, would I pay $60 for it? Probably not. If I won it, got it as a gift, or got it at a drastic discount, would I play it? Probably. Having only played it for 48 hours (and on a PC not meant for graphics-heavy games), I don’t feel qualified to give a definite yes or no to this. I’ll wait until it’s released for Mac, and then consider it again. I’ll keep watching it on YouTube, and I’ll keep an eye on any expansions they do for it. The Sims 3 wasn’t all that great as a base game either.

Spiderweb Software’s newest game, a remake of the original Avernum 2, was released just a few days ago. Let’s talk about it!

I should probably say right now that I’m a huge fan of Spiderweb Software. The games appeal to me, being heavy on story and strategy.

Now that I’ve said that, the newest game is incredibly heavy on story. It’s the continuation of the story started in Avernum: Escape from the Pit, but you don’t need to have played the first game to fully understand the story of the second. There are small references that you’ll get if you’ve played Escape, but nothing game-breaking.

The first storyboard.

The game begins with some storyboards. Apparently, after a group of assassins from Avernum tried to assassinate the Emperor, the Empire decided that Avernum needed to be purged. So they sent down a bunch of soldiers and began to wage a war. The Avernites are holding their own, being used to the caves, but the Empire is slowly making headway. The actual gameplay starts you out at a small fort in NE Avernum, under attack by nephil (think Avatar) and goblins. You, a lowly soldier of Avernum (you’re mining out storerooms at the beginning of the game) are quickly called into action and sent to clear out

Where you start. Your party will probably look a little different than mine. I did a slightly different setup than the game defaults you to.

nephil camps, run errands, and figure out just what those magical barriers are, and who created them.

(I’m not sure if the “magical barriers” are the demo-barriers or not. I always play through the full demo before buying the game, as Jeff (the guy who makes these games) tends to be rather creative about how he denotes the demo areas, and I think it’s hilarious, some of the things he does. Fourth-wall breaking, the NPC’s not being sure why you have “demo” next to your name on checkpoint lists….) I’m assuming you essentially beat the Empire all by yourself in the end. I don’t know yet though.

Avernum 2: Crystal Souls utilizes a turn-based combat system, as do all the Spiderweb games. Avernum 2 features multiple character classes and three races: human, slith (think Godzilla… except way smaller) and the nephilim. Skills are appropriately medieval – swords, spears, and magic (okay, not medieval) abound.

Overall, I really love this game so far. Avernum: EftP was one of my favorite games so far (Geneforge 5 is still my absolute favorite Spiderweb game) and the story for this one seems interesting. I love RPG’s, and I’m sure the game will get better as I go along. It’s definitely better than Avadon 2. (I liked it okay, but not my favorite.)

Avernum 2: Crystal Souls is currently available for Mac and PC, with the iPad version coming soon. I’d highly recommend you try it out. I’d say it’s appropriate for 12 and up.